Differential switch operating mechanism



J1me 1936- H. A. w. wool: 2,046,048

DIFFERENTIAL SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM I Original Filed March 25 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jay/e177 I? da 'T v QE rmQ 3Q, 1936. H. A WQOD DIFFERENTIAL SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM Original Filed March 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll 'ililll ||||h V F II I IILIU fideizr M 6/7 04. 726a 7002 a Wm:

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Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIFFERENTIAL SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM Application March 23, 1932, Serial No. 600,645 Renewed June 26, 1934 7 Claims.

This invention relates to means for operating a contact to control it automatically when the speed ratio of a running part reaches a predetermined maximum.

5 In the preferred form and in the form shown herein, the invention comprises a differential, one operating member of which is being driven by a printing press and the other by the running paper roll which is being spliced to the web of the press, the differential being located between the two. The third member of the differential collects these two speeds and when the rotation of the paper roll, owing to the constant speed of the web and gradual decrease in its diameter,

15 increases in angular speed sufficiently, the central member of the differential will reverse and a contact will be closed by this reversal. This contact is, of course, located in an electric circuit which, according to the embodiment of the invention herein described, will start a splicing mechanism but it can start any feature of the splicing mechanism or any feature of the printing press itself. In fact, in its broadest aspect the invention is not limited to the printing art. 2 Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is an end view of a roll supporting device having this invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the differential switch operating mechanism in section, and

Fig. 2- is a diametrical sectional view through the center of the switch operating mechanism in enlarged scale.

. The reel H), which is shown as carrying supports for three web rolls, is mounted as usual on 40 a shaft I! supported by'a frame l2. This reel operates in the usual way and as well understood in the art for supplying the web from a web roll thereon to a printing press.

In this case there is connected with the print- 45 ing press a vertical shaft l3 to rotate at a speed in proportion to that of the printing couple of the printing press. Through bevel gears I4 this shaft drives a short shaft 15, pinion I6 and gear IT. The gear I! is rotatably mounted with re- 0 spect to the shaft II but not directly on it. This gear I! is mounted on the hub of a gear l8 and fixed to the gear as by screws I9 or the like. The

gear it, therefore, rotates from the printing press in direct proportion to the speed of the press.

55 It meshes with a series of gears 29, one on each arm, at one end of the reel on which the web rolls are supported.

Each gear 20 is free on a spindle 2| and adapted to be clutched thereto by a clutch 22 to drive it when bringing the new roll up to web speed but to be freed when the press is running normally. In the latter case the roll S is driven by the web unwinding from it. These spindles 2| are mounted in hearings on the reel and drive the spare rolls S one at a time to bring 10 them up to web speed. The mechanism just described provides a means driven from the press for driving the spare roll S up to web speed preparatory to splicing. No means is shown herein for regulating the speed. It is sufiicient to pro- 115' vide for driving the web roll from the press. Of course, this is driven only when desired by connecting the parts as by means of the clutch.

Fixed to the gear is a gear 23 which meshes with a gear 25 which is carried by a shaft 26 at one end of the difierential frame 21. To the gear 25 is secured a bevel gear 28 constituting one of theoperating members of the differential. The frame 21 is fixed by a bracket 24 thereon to the reel I0. 25

It will be seen that this stud 26 has its bearing in'the end of the casing 21. This casing is also provided with two brackets 29 and 30 having bearings. The bearing of the bracket 29 carries a short shaft or stud 3 I, on which shaft is fixed a bevel gear 33 constituting the other operating member of the differential. On the shaft 3| is freely journaled a hub provided with a frame 32 and on the frame 32 are carried two or more, or any desired number of, bevel pinions 34, meshing with the two gears 28 and 33 and constituting the differential.

On the frame 32 is mounted a support for a contact 35 which is adapted to engage at certain times with a contact 36 fixed on the reel In. It 40 will be understood that these two contacts constitute a break in an electric circuit which is connected with some mechanism which it is intended to start by the operation of this machine.

In the present case it is preferred to apply it to. 5 a pasting or splicing mechanism but this invention is not limited to that particular operation. On the opposite side of the bearing bracket 29 is carried a hub 31 fixed to the shaft 3| and having an arm 38 projecting from it. 5

A chain or other driving device 40, driven by the roll spindle 2|, drives a shaft 4|, which has a bearing in the opposite end of the casing 21 and another bearing in the bracket 30. It also projects into the shaft 3| by which these two shafts are centered. On this shaft 4| is a small friction clutch 42 for connecting the shafts 3| and 4| through the arm 38. This is provided so that the central portion 32 of the differential may merely oscillate.

It will be seen that the shaft 4| rotates in direct relation to the speed of the paper roll spindle 2|, while the gear 25 rotates in direct relation to the speed of the press. The press is run at constant speed and consequently the gear 25 will run at constant speed. Now, consider that the roll S is in a. position to feed the web to the press and is gradually being reduced in size. As the web runs constantly and as the roll is constantly being reduced in size by the feeding of the paper therefrom, it is obvious that the speed of rotation of the roll in revolutions per minute constantly increases. Thus the speed of the shaft 4| increases all the time. The gear ratio between the gears 25 and 33 is so related that when the running roll, rotating the spindle 2| decreases to a predetermined diameter, the direction in which the central portion 32 tends to turn is changed from a counterclockwise direction as shown in Fig. 1, to a clockwise direction.

Now, heretofore the contact 35 has been constantly forced toward or against one side of an opening 43 in the casing 21 but now it moves away from that side of the opening and into contact with the contact 36. Thus the circuit in which these contacts are located is completed. The completion of this circuit may be used to initiate the operation of a splicing mechanism and preferably is so used. However, it can be used for any other purposes desired when it is convenient or necessary that an action should take place in certain relationship to the diameter of the running web roll.

In the present drawings, three such devices are shown, each one being connected with one of the three spindles 2| carried by the roll supporting device. As each spindle 2| is rotated until its size is at a minimum, these particular contacts 35 and 36 are used to initiate the splicing mechanism or whatever it is desired to connect up with it. Thus the action of the splicing mechanism or the like is dependent upon the size of the running roll and is set to operate when the running roll is almost exhausted.

Although I have illustrated and described only one form of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not Wish to be limited in this respect, or to the use of the invention on a printing or splicing mechanism, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:-

1. The combination with a roll supporting device for a printing press, of a differential having two opposite gears, means for connecting one of said gears of the printing press to rotate in proportion to the speed of the press, a series of spindles carried by said roll supporting device, one for each of the webrolls, means for driving the opposite gear of the differential from the said spindle, the central or neutral member of the differential having means thereon for closing an electric switch for the purpose described, said differential being so arranged that during the feeding of the web to the press the contact will remain open until the size of the roll is reduced to a minimtun and then the central portion of the differential will start to rotate in the opposite direction and close the contacts of the switch.

2. In a switch operating device, the combination of a differential comprising two opposite gears, means for connecting one gear with a printing press to rotate therewith and in proportion thereto, a spindle for supporting a web roll feeding a web to the press, means operated by the press for rotating the web roll through said spindle to get the webroll up to web speed, and means for disconnecting the spindle thereafter from its operating means to leave the spindle free to rotate with the web roll as it feeds paper to the press, the opposite gear of said differential being driven by said spindle in proportion to the speed of the spindle, the differential having a neutral member provided with means for closing the electric contact when the neutral member reverses owing to the speeding up of said spindle.

3. In a differential for the purpose described, the combination of a pair of opposite gears, a free central neutral member located between and meshing with the opposite gears, a contact-making device carried by the central member, means for rotating one of the gears from a printing press in proportion to the speed of the press, the other gear having a shaft, a second shaft in alignment with the last-named shaft, means for driving the second shaft from a running web roll, and a friction clutch between the last two shafts,

4. The combination with an unwinding web roll, diminishing in size and increasing in speed as the web unvvinds from it, of means controlled by the changing angular velocity of the roll as it diminishes in diameter for closing a switch.

5. The combination with a switch, an expiring web roll, the angular velocity of which increases as it rotates toward the web expiring points, and a shaft rotating at constant speed, of means controlled by a predetermined relationship between the fixed angular velocity of the shaft and the increasing angular velocity ratio thereto of the expiring roll for actuating said switch.

6. The combination of a running roll, a member driven in harmony with a machine, and a member driven by the running roll, with means controlled by the relative angular speeds of said two members for actuating a web-splicing device.

7. The combination of an expiring roll, a shaft operating at constant speed, a switch, with means controlled by the relative angular speeds of the shaft and the expiring roll for operating said switch.

HENRY A. WISE WOOD. 

